No. 7 Nebraska eyes 20-0 start; Minnesota out to end slide
No. 7 Nebraska is off to a perfect start this season.
But perfection does not come without pain. The Cornhuskers learned that lesson as guard Braden Frager left the team's most recent game with an ankle injury, leaving his status in doubt as Nebraska prepares for two games in four days.
Looking to extend its best start in school history, Nebraska (19-0, 8-0 Big Ten) is expected to embrace a "next man up" philosophy when it faces Minnesota (10-9, 3-5) on Saturday in Minneapolis.
The Cornhuskers, who have never won an NCAA Tournament game, are off to a magical start that no outside observers could have predicted. They are one of only three undefeated teams remaining along with No. 1 Arizona and No. 25 Miami (OH), who are 19-0 and 20-0, respectively.
Nebraska has won its past three games by double digits, including a 76-66 win over visiting Washington on Wednesday night. Frager hobbled off early after spraining his left ankle in the first half during a scramble for a loose ball.
Cornhuskers coach Fred Hoiberg said Frager's status was uncertain for Saturday. Frager is third on the team with 12.2 points per game.
"You feel for someone who puts so much time into his craft," Hoiberg said. "To see him go down like that was tough, (and it was tough) to see the emotion that came out. He has a passion for the game and plays with a swagger, and we feel for him, but we'll get through it."
Pryce Sandfort leads Nebraska with 17 ppg on 48.5% shooting, including 41.8% from 3-point range. Rienk Mast is next with 14.9.
Frager's injury could lead to more playing time for players such as Jared Garcia and Cale Jacobsen. The Cornhuskers also could look to Sandfort to step up as a scorer even more.
"He's got a lot of confidence," Hoiberg said of Sandfort. "And we're going to do everything we can to find him."
For his part, Sandfort knows that opposing defenses will make him a focal point.
"It's kind of felt like that the whole season with how (closely) they've been guarding me, but I give a lot of credit to my teammates and coaches for getting me in the right spots," he said.
As Nebraska aims for its 20th win, Minnesota will try to snap a four-game losing streak. The Golden Gophers are coming off an 82-74 overtime loss at Ohio State, which followed losses against then-No. 13 Illinois, Wisconsin and USC.
Cade Tyson leads Minnesota with 20.5 ppg. Jaylen Crocker-Johnson is next with 14.2 and Langston Reynolds is third with 10.8. Crocker-Johnson is the Golden Gophers' top rebounder at 6.8 per game.
Coach Niko Medved said the latest overtime loss was hard to accept but showed that his team was not far from reeling off victories.
"We've had a few of these (narrow losses), and we have to figure out how to get one," Medved said. "The good news is that we are right there."